‘Cats, Jags set for showdown

Adam Candee

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002 | 9:40 a.m.

Leon Evans glows as he surveys his Desert Pines football squad and sees the skill and talent of a championship team.

The first-year Jaguars coach looks over to the nemesis at Las Vegas, however, and finds something he believes is much more important than the ability to break a tackle or shed a block. He sees a team with "The Look."

"Over there, those kids expect to win, they know how to win," Evans said. "We've got to come out and match their intensity all four quarters."

Why shouldn't the top-ranked, defending state champion Wildcats be confident heading into Friday night's decisive Northeast division showdown at Desert Pines? Standing at 8-0 and 4-0 in division, and boasting the city's best passing attack, Las Vegas should likely feel that it can match up with any team in the state.

"Hopefully, you get to the point where you're used to winning because you've done the work," Las Vegas coach Kris Cinkovich said. "You hope winning becomes a habit."

Yet, as Wildcats senior linebacker Chad Pool is quick to point out, confidence alone does not win a down, a quarter, or a game.

"Sometimes, that can hurt us also," Pool said. "Sometimes, it makes us come out flat in games where we should come out to play. I think we've been getting that fixed."

Against the third-ranked Desert Pines (8-0, 4-0) team that features its best-ever rushing offense behind standout tailback Cornell Johnson and an improved passing game led by quarterback Marcel Johnson and wideout Kawon Walker, there will be no room for the Wildcats to be flat this week.

"Our ground game, as well as our air game, if we play like we're supposed to, it'll be amazing to watch," Johnson said of the Desert Pines offense that is averaging more than 42 points per game this season.

In the Jaguars' brief history, they are 0-3 against Las Vegas, but both coaches agree that the two squads have never been more evenly matched. The hunger in a rivalry, however, generally burns a bit more for the team yet to break through.

"We've preached that to our kids a little bit," Evans said.

In a game that will determine both who wins the Northeast division and who receives home-field advantage throughout the Sunrise Region playoffs, motivation is already built in for both teams. The loser of Friday's game also faces a very dangerous second-round matchup on the road at rejuvenated Foothill.

"Stay at home, keep that black jersey on," Pool said. "That's big to us."

Toss in the facts that the Sunrise region will receive just one berth to the state finals, and that these two teams may see each other again three weeks down the road in the region finals, and there is little doubt that the playoffs theoretically begin Friday for both the Wildcats and the Jaguars.

"This is as big as it gets in high school football," Evans said. "This is playoff intensity. This is a playoff week for us."

Therefore, the spotlight shines directly on Johnson, the centerpiece of the Desert Pines squad. Evans said his senior star has matured this season, becoming a better teammate and leader by allowing others to carry the burden as well.

This week, however, might not be the time for Johnson to feel terribly unselfish. With Johnson's combination of power and speed, Cinkovich knows his defense must quickly swarm the Jaguars tailback.

"You've got to scramble and get to him before he gets to the line of scrimmage," Cinkovich said. "Because once he does, he's almost unstoppable."

While Desert Pines has gained balance on offense this year, Las Vegas flipped from a team heavy on the ground game to one predicated on a passing attack. Such is the case when the playmaking mantle is handed down from graduated stud running back Antione White (2,949 rushing yards, 48 TD in 2001) to big-time receiver Corey Williams (674 receiving yards, 12 TD to date in 2002).

"You have to get in the mindset where you have to throw the ball more because that's where the playmakers are," Cinkovich said. "That was a big change for us."

The change in results is hardly noticeable, though: Las Vegas is averaging nearly 36 points per game as it attempts to defend its state crown.